VOTE
A New Kind of Christianity
(Chapters 14-15)
- The author describes his background as a “Romans Protestant” because of the importance of Romans in his tradition. How was/is your tradition similar or different?
- Try to put into your own words the definition of the gospel given by Jesus and affirmed by the author: “The kingdom of God is at hand,” and respond to the author’s statement that Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion, but to announce a new kingdom.
- According to the author, the purpose of the Letter to the Romans is not to define the gospel, but to do something else. How would you explain that purpose?
- In the end of Chapter 14 and through Chapter 15, the author presents an overview of Romans. How did you respond to that overview? What new insights into Romans did you gain through this chapter? And how did you respond to the author’s reference to the final scene in the Book of Acts?
- Buy “A New Kind of Christianity”
Additional Questions:
Questions for Reading Groups:
- What one, two, or three passages or ideas in this chapter did you respond most strongly to? What was your response – what feelings and ideas did the idea(s) or passage(s) elicit? Why do you think you responded in this way?
- What quotes, points, or questions from this chapter would you most like to talk about with your group? What would you like to ask your other group members about these quotes, points, or questions?
- How would you complete this sentence: “For me, the most important take-aways from this chapter were …”
A Five-Step Reading Circle:
A convener invites a circle of friends to read the book. The convener proposes how many chapters will be read per week, and when, where, and for how long the group will meet. At each meeting, the convener reads these five steps as ground rules for the group, and intervenes to uphold these ground rules as necessary. The convener may also lead in a brief opening and closing activity – such as reciting the Lord’s Prayer, observing a period of silence, journaling, etc.
- A volunteer reads a sentence or paragraph from the week’s reading that was important to him or her for some reason.
- That group member then talks about the passage for an agreed-upon period of time without interruption. (Ten minutes would be a good maximum, but five or seven minutes might be better for groups of more than five people.) He or she shares why the passage is important, what the passage means to him or her, and how he or she responds to it. Other members seek to “listen the speaker into free speech” through their attentiveness. Again, no interruptions are allowed, and periods of silence are fine.
- That group member invites others to ask further questions about his or her responses to the passage – for the purpose of understanding the group member (not debating, not critiquing, not agreeing or disagreeing – only seeking to understand the group member better). Or that group member may ask a question of fellow members to which they may respond.
- Another group member volunteers (or is invited by the leader to go next), and the process continues around the circle.
- If time permits, the group leader may invite each member to reflect on what they have learned or gained from one another during the gathering. The group confirms the next week’s readings and meeting details.
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